Hey all- questions for ya. Have any of you ever been a rodeo queen, or tried out for one? I am strongly considering getting into it. I will admit I do not know much about it- yet. I know I could do the riding without a problem. I have two horses, a sorrel with tons of chrome, and a sorrel and white paint. Both geldings, both quiet. Good with everything; flags, pivots, other horses, cattle, noise. Both were used as drill team horses for the last 3 years. Both have competed in breakaway, bulldogging, and runnin barrels. Not worried about them at all.

I have been looking into it for a while now, and I really think it is something I could do. I have given many speeches, via FFA, Student Council, Alumni boards, Saddle Club and 4H meetings, etc. I am a very people friendly person- it comes easy for me. So. What about the queen competition. The clothes, traveling, where you stay (in my trailer, hotel?) where your horses stay, speeches, sponsors, events, meetings, anything and everything you can think of.

Thanks guys- I could use the help.

American by birth. Cowgirl by the grace of God. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

As far as advice? Get sponsors and borrow as much as you can in the way of clothing. Regarding accommodations while competing, if you are traveling alone and don't know the area, you may rest easier if you can afford a hotel. We've always had good luck with keeping horses at fairgrounds. I bet there are some people with horror stories, though, but we have never had one.

I am strongly considering getting into it. I will admit I do not know much about it- yet. I know I could do the riding without a problem. I have two horses, a sorrel with tons of chrome, and a sorrel and white paint. Both geldings, both quiet. Good with everything; flags, pivots, other horses, cattle, noise. Both were used as drill team horses for the last 3 years. Both have competed in breakaway, bulldogging, and runnin barrels. Not worried about them at all.

That's a good place to start. But remember: Horsemanship is only 1/3 of the competition. The other two main judging areas include personality and appearance.

And your horsemanship not only involves riding a horse, but also your knowledge of the horse (anatomy, daily care, tack, etc). Little things count. Did you hold your reins correctly? Did you allow your reins to touch the ground when you mounted and dismounted? Did you stop smiling or stop looking happy at any point during your pattern? Did you correct your horse when they picked up the wrong lead?

Make sure you get on lots of different horses. Great if you can ride your own horse, but in a pageant (and during your reign) you will be expected to hop on and ride a strange horse.

I have been looking into it for a while now, and I really think it is something I could do. I have given many speeches, via FFA, Student Council, Alumni boards, Saddle Club and 4H meetings, etc.

That's good you have some speech experience because that's often a difficult part for a lot of girls. Being able to memorize a longer speech is a good skill, as well as being able to deliver it in an exciting and captivating way.

What about the queen competition. The clothes, traveling, where you stay (in my trailer, hotel?) where your horses stay, speeches, sponsors, events, meetings, anything and everything you can think of.

In general --> get a coach. Find someone who has been a successful rodeo queen and have them help you. Modeling is a very important aspect of queen pageants and you'll need to be able to do it right. Your coach can also watch you do your speeches and make suggestions on things you can do with your body differently, or ways to make your speech more exciting. Take lots of riding lessons with different trainers to get your riding down pat. Bascially, take the time to find resources to help you prepare. Most rodeo queen winners have coaches.

Each queen competition will be a little different. Some are more laid back. Some are more serious. Some are a one day event, and some are multiple days. The best thing you can do is go watch the pageant the YEAR BEFORE you want to run. Then you can get an idea of what to expect.

Study, study, study. You are expected to know current events, politics, current rodeo standings (PRCA and WPRA), the current and past Miss Rodeo America, rodeo knowledge, equine knowledge. Absolutely anything is fair game. Will you always know the answer to the question? No. But if you are well prepared, you can state that you don't know the answer to that question, but you DO know yada yada about a related topic.

Staying in a hotel or your trailer is totally up to you. And each pageant will be different in format. Where your horses stay, also, will depend on how long the pageant goes. Typically, you are responsible for your own horse in most cases. But you can talk to the pageant director if you need options for keeping your horse somewhere.

Typically you don't really worry about sponsors until you win a title. But sponsors are helpful to cover travel expenses, dry cleaning, clothing, etc especially if you are going to run for a state title. (Typically you have to have a "lower level" title to qualify to run for a state title. The exception is high school rodeo, where you can simply run for the state title.)

If you win a title, be expected to travel a lot of miles. Be expected to carry flags for grand entry, and possibly the American flag (always hold the Eagle forward, and never go faster than a nice lope, out of respect. And NEVER let the American flag touch the ground). State flags, always dip them lower than the American flag when the national anthem is played. Usually in my area, you are responsible to bring your own horse unless you are a state title holder who can borrow a stock contractor horse. Never show up to a rodeo unless you have contacted the rodeo committee and asked if you can come. Never expect to borrow a stock contractor horse unless you have contacted and asked a head of time. You'll also be expected to help chase out stock for tie down roping and steer wrestling. If there's mutton buston, you'll help for that. You'll also walk around and sign autographs for the kids during the rodeo, because they love that.

Thank you guys!! You have helped a ton! And about riding other horses- that's a check. I left out the part where I have been training horses for the last 4 years, so I have been on quite a few. Big, small, fast, slow, cold and hot. The part I am most nervous about the modeling.

American by birth. Cowgirl by the grace of God. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Practice, practice, practice! Make sure you work on it every day in front of a mirror. You might feel silly, but ask family and friends if you can practice in front of them. Modeling is all about showing confidence, so you've got to own it. Yes, there's is technique involved (why a coach can help you) too, but confidence is key.

Appearance doesn't mean you have to have the most expensive clothes, but it does means your clothes should flatter your figure and the color should complement your complexion. And again, details are important. So for the fashion dress portion, fat baby's and clunky-looking boots are a no-no. You want a dress boot heel that is dressy for the category. And the great part of the formal stuff is that leather dresses are slowly becoming a thing of the past, as the Miss Rodeo America pageant tries to make the switch to more fashion-forward Western dress. (Because really? Where else do you wear a full length western leather dress to than a rodeo queen pageant?) And details include making sure you polish the BOTTOM of your boots too. The judges see that when you walk away from them. Little things!

yep ran and won 2011 SLR Rodeo Queen it is tons of fun but Lots of hard work, practice, knowledge of equine science, and preparation are all important key factors. I'm considering running for Miss Grand National Rodeo Queen. Here in CA

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